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Abi Ooze: Forestdale Sessions cassette (Rotten Apple) Abi Ooze has been kicking around for a while, releasing a handful of tapes and one very limited 7” that is already going for big bucks on Discogs, but this is the first time I have had the pleasure of writing about her music for Sorry State. To put it succinctly, I am blown away! Forestdale Sessions is a total scorcher, one of the best poppy punk records I’ve heard in ages. It starts off with my favorite track, “Cry Alone,” which is a master class in pop-inflected punk songwriting. The chorus hook is massive, reminding me of glammy 70s classics like Nikki & the Corvettes, but its barreling energy and big lead guitar hooks are pure punk. It’s a brilliant song any way you slice it. It’s far from the only one, though, as the rest of Forestdale Sessions proves Abi is no one-trick pony. “Run + Hide” and “Russian Bomb” have some of the gooey doo-wop vibes of early Misfits or Protex, while “Splice” is a more reserved punker that dials back the hooks in favor of a Spits-esque cool. And then there’s the other standout, “Untitled,” which is a total departure, with both Abi’s soaring vocal and the song’s hiccuping rhythm sounding like the Breeders (one of my all-time favorite bands). Get this tape! It fucking rules! And while you’re at it, someone put it on vinyl!

What’s up Sorry State readers, I hope everyone has been feeling a lil spooky this week in preparation for Halloween. We’re in the full swing of things over here at Sorry State and feeling the spirit of All Hallows’ Eve. Today I’d like to talk about an album that embraces the horror aesthetic, Mystic Stylez by Memphis’ own Three 6 Mafia. The group has long been known for their love of the occult and all things evil, but I feel like it’s on full display on their 1995 debut album. There’s some real gnarly shit on here and you can just feel the hate pouring out all throughout this project. When Bone Thugs-N-Harmony called Memphis a “bunk ass town” on one of their songs, Three 6 did not take it lightly and responded with the fourth track on this album, Live by Yo Rep, a diss track where the group takes turns detailing the gruesome ways they’re going to torture and kill the opposing group, like slowly peeling off all their skin and pouring boiling hot degreaser and acid on them and their dead friends. Another track on the album, “Now I’m Hi Pt. 3,” has such a haunting beat that it sounds like it could’ve been lifted right out of a horror movie. Everyone has great verses on this album, but I love just about every single one of Gangsta Boo’s, the devil’s daughter herself. I really love her voice and flow. It’s just so amazing and she really takes every track she’s on to another level. This album just feels so sinister, Halloween is the perfect time to throw this classic on. Modern rap owes so much to this incredible group, as their influence is very apparent in a lot of popular artists today. If you wanna listen to an hour of devil worship and all around evil shit, give this bad boy a listen.

Hi Sorry State fam and happy early Halloween! I’ve been trying to squeeze in some seasonal activities, so I went on one of the ghost tours they do in downtown Raleigh. They are kinda expensive but fun. And this one gave away prizes! I’m super competitive and a nerd, so I won almost all the prizes except one, and that was only because I didn’t want to be greedy. But to the person who won that last prize (as I’m sure they’re reading this), I let you win. Just saying.

OK, enough bragging about winning pens and beer koozies. First, kudos to Jeff because his Halloween enthusiasm made the newsletter and store super fun and Halloweeny this year! Don’t forget, if you come to the store in full costume Friday through Monday, you will get a discount and treats!

I love Halloween and I love a theme when it comes to music, so I was definitely on board with the theme for staff picks. I did have a hard time between picking a movie or a soundtrack, or both, so I picked the soundtrack from the 1985 classic, The Return of the Living Dead! Turns out Jeff originally picked the same album. So we had a back and forth of “you do it… no it’s cool you can do it…. no really, you do it.” And here we are. But with Jeff’s horror movie and music collection, I knew he would have no trouble with a backup plan. Great minds think alike! This 80s classic is one of my favorite movies of its kind, and the soundtrack is punk rock Halloween gold.

Let’s just nerd out for a minute about the movie as it has some pretty unique features. Not only is it the first of its kind to show zombies running, the zombies have an affinity for eating brains as opposed to your lame, garden variety human flesh. These are sophisticated zombies.

I’m not going to give a play-by-play of the movie, but it’s so funny when the old warehouse foreman is showing off to his employee Freddy by hitting the drum of toxic gas. He wanted to show him how “sturdy” it was. Unfortunately, his demonstration was more about showing Freddy how not sturdy it was, as his flex resulted in the release of toxic gas. The fatal error brings the corpses in a nearby cemetery to life, and we have ourselves a movie.

The movie is made even better by Freddy’s group of friends with amazing 80s punk names like Spider, Trash, and Scuz. That actually sounds like a really good band name. Spider, Trash, and Scuz. It’s up for grabs!

Speaking of which, let’s try to get some words in here about the music on the soundtrack. You’ve got some killer late 70s/early 80s bands like The Damned, T.S.O.L, The Cramps, and 45 Grave. 45 Grave is the first band that comes to mind when I think of this soundtrack given their legendary status as pioneers of American goth rock. What makes it super cool is 45 Grave did a heavier version of their song “Partytime.” Great track. Fun fact: members of the band got to be extras in Blade Runner!

I gotta backtrack here and talk about The Cramps kicking things off with the mid-tempo punk rock track, “Surfin’ Dead.” What kind of 80s zombie flick would it be without The Cramps? Further, what is Halloween without The Cramps? Another fun fact: Poison Ivy played both bass and guitar on that track, and I think the bass guitar became a permanent fixture for The Cramps after that, or somewhere around that timeframe.

People were kind of down on T.S.O.L. by the mid 80s because their sound wasn’t punk enough or some shit. Even if they lost some punk points, I don’t really care because “Nothing For You” is one of my favorites on the soundtrack. The intro is great, the bass sounds great, and it’s just got the perfect vibe for the genre and the time period. So what if I think of Billy Idol every time I hear it. It still rocks.

Obviously The Damned is a perfect band for this soundtrack and they definitely bring the riffs, but let’s move on.

Synth pop group SSQ rounds out the soundtrack with a couple tracks. Those songs definitely sound the most dated. I knew nothing about SSQ except for their contribution to this soundtrack, but I’m happy to report that I now know two things. I never knew that Stacy Q, the woman who would later grace our eardrums with the mega hit “Two of Hearts,” was the singer for SSQ. Personally I prefer the “Two of Hearts” Stacey Q.

I’m not lucky enough to have the original soundtrack on vinyl, but this reissue from a couple years ago is pretty cool. To be honest I’m not big on soundtracks because they are either movie scores (boringggg), or the songs are just too all over the place. When I put on a record, it’s because I want a certain sound or I’m in a certain mood. It’s a thoughtful process. The problem with most soundtracks is that they fuck up the process for me. I don’t want to hear Simon and Garfunkel and then N.W.A. back to back (I don’t think there is a soundtrack with those two bands on it, but you know what I mean). I like both styles but not at the same time. I much prefer soundtracks that capture the movie as a whole. I don’t want a bunch of random songs from random scenes that only make sense if you’re watching the movie. This soundtrack can stand on its own and its curated in a smart way that mirrors the movie’s humor, style, and fun.

OK, that’s enough of me pretending to know shit. I hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween!

Thanks for reading,

Angela

Hello and thanks for reading! In celebration of this week’s festivities, I’ve selected this DNA slab for this week’s Staff Pick. While the B side features a whack ass cover, I think the EP is still pretty cool. If you didn’t know, the vocalist of DNA was the original vocalist of ANTI-CIMEX. He was only on Anarkist Attack before he was replaced by Jonsson. I read online that DNA and CIMEX shared a rehearsal room as well. Hard Core Horror Records released both the DNA 7” and 12” records in the mid-late 80s. The first release on Hard Core Horror was the DNA 12”. If I remember right, Mats Bodenmalm was the owner of this label. After the label’s final release in the late 80s, he returned in the early 90s with a new label called Distortion Records. I could be wrong, but I think the first release on Distortion was a MODERAT LIKVIDATION 7”. Alright I’ve got to get back to work… Happy Halloween everyone! Cheers :)

Hello everyone, how are you all doing out there? We are officially in holiday season and whichever one and way you celebrate, have a great one.

This week we are in Halloween mode and having some fun at the store by getting into the spirit of things. Jeff and Angela have added some spooky touches to the store and we’re getting ready to drop some Halloween and horror related records for our Friday used new arrivals for our locals. Anyone coming into the store in costume will get a spooky discount on records they buy, and everyone gets candy. Yay!

There was also another holiday this week, and that was the Indian Festival Of Lights called Diwali. The celebration of good conquering evil. Darkness replaced by light. The festival is spread over several days, but the high point was this past Monday. As the radio show I do was on Monday, my partner Matt and I did an all Diwali special and played nothing but Bollywood soundtracks and Indian music. Some newer things, but mostly classic 60s, 70s and 80s stuff. We had a lot of fun with it and if you enjoy the sound of the sitar and funky Bollywood beats, you might like to listen. Check it out here if you are so inclined.

Whilst pulling records last week to play for the show I found a cool compilation that I bought from Finders Keepers Records a few years back. It’s called Bollywood Bloodbath and was originally released in 2011, although in 2020 a limited reissue was pressed on color vinyl. It’s subtitled The B-Music Of The Indian Horror Film Industry and was conceived and compiled by label honcho Andy Votel, who also provides the liner notes. Most of the material is from the 1970s, but some tracks date back further and there are one or two from the 80s. Bollywood horror movies were a different beast altogether from their US and European contemporaries. They were still very theatric and featured over the top dance scenes and the music, although slightly horror themed, was not that creepy. Actually, kinda groovy and funky in places. Typical for Bollywood movies.

On this collection, Votel has selected tracks that combine the over-the-top Bollywood sound with aspects that you would expect on a horror soundtrack. Weird synth sounds, screaming voices, odd time signature changes, crashing chords… they’re all here but never too much in all honesty as Bollywood vampires need a good beat to dance to. It’s still cool though, and the hours of viewing these old movies to find these choice nuggets were well spent by Andy Votel and I’m grateful to have this nifty collection of some of the best moments from these films on vinyl. There are some names in the credits that those of you who are Bollywood fans will recognize, like that of R.D. Burman and he along with all the other producers featured here really do work wonders in creating these sounds from, for the most part, humble and primitive studio setups.

If you are already familiar with the great label that is Finders Keepers and know who Andy Votel is, you might also know that he is a pretty good DJ, who has released several fab mixtapes over the years covering all sorts of genres that the label covers. He did one for the Bollywood Bloodbath release and mixed in tracks used for the collection with lots of other samples and sounds from the films. It’s a fun listen and should make sense of what I have been talking about and why I think it’s cool. Click here to enjoy.

I’ll let you return to your regularly scheduled Halloween programming now, but hopefully there are a few of you out there that might find this side of the Horror genre interesting and cool. Thanks for reading and your support. See you next time. Don’t eat too much drug laced candy.

-Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Welcome to an especially spooky edition of our newsletter. I’m hoping the rest of the gang’s staff picks will similarly be in the spirit at the tail end of this October. Halloween is only a few days away and we’re trying to make sure the store is a comfortable place to visit for all the fiends and ghouls out there. I try to celebrate Samhain in as many ways as I can. I wish I were more on the ball with decorating, finding a cool costume, and making big Halloween plans like going to a haunted house or whatever. One thing I do always manage to squeeze in is watching movies.

Over the last several years, the 1989 movie Night of The Demons has become one of my all-time favorites. There’s so much to love about this movie. First off, I love that the events of the movie actually occur on Halloween night. I watch plenty of movies during the season of the witch that are spooky or have some sorta creature or crazed killer running around, but I love a movie that visually exudes the Halloween spirit. The basic plot of the movie is that a group of teenagers all meet at an abandoned crematorium to have a spooky Halloween party. The animated opening credits sequence is so awesome and really sets the mood. The cast of characters is great, namely my favorite dude Stooge, the heavy-set, foul-mouthed punker wearing the pig nose. Not to mention Amelia Kinkade as the party host Angela and the always great scream queen Linnea Quigley as the vain and boy-crazy Suzanne. There’s an angry old man who says horrible shit about kids having fun on Halloween, but then gets what he deserves (I won’t spoil it). The demon make-up effects are top-notch and super memorable, namely Linnea in the lipstick scene. While the film reads as low budget, there are some amazing dolly and POV shots that are super well-done. Blah blah, I could go on and on.

All this said, I gotta talk about the music in the movie. During the main party scene in the movie, all the characters are dancing and pounding beers to this heavy metal tune blasting out of a boombox (which happens to be covered in stickers, and a sneaky COC sticker makes an appearance, hell yeah!). The song that plays in the background is a song called “Computer Date”. If my brief research has any validity to it, I’m pretty sure the song was recorded by the director’s brother Dennis Tenney. If I imagine the scenario when Night of The Demons was being made, I could totally see the director Kevin Tenney being like, “Oh sure, brother Dennis, we can use one of your songs in the movie.” In the background of the scene, the song sounds pretty rockin’. It comes across like the perfect general beer-guzzling heavy metal tune a bunch of rowdy 1980s teenagers would rage to. But what’s crazy is that I’ve read Youtube comments on different uploads of “Computer Date,” and there are several people saying things like, “I remember waiting for this movie to play on HBO just so I could hear this song!” Which is super cool. I’m also pretty sure there wasn’t a soundtrack readily available when this movie came out. It’s interesting to imagine an era when a song that played in a movie was kind of a mystery. This was before internet sleuthing allowed all the information you needed to be right at your fingertips. Before you could watch Night of The Demons on streaming as many times as you wanted, or look up the song on Discogs. You either had to go rent the VHS tape at a video store or hope that it would play on late-night cable. Now, when I pay close attention to the song… Is it the most amazing heavy metal song I’ve ever heard? Not exactly haha. But I will admit that I do kinda love it, maybe in part because of its close association with this movie. It’s corny in some ways, but also charming, tongue-in-cheek, clever, kinda funny, and put together ambitiously. Most of all, the song is super catchy with cool backup harmonies that get stuck in my head. Also, some pretty killer shredding guitar. I would love if there was randomly a 7” single from 1989 with “Computer Date” and some other song from the movie on the b-side. Perhaps featuring some cool cover art with Stooge wearing the pig nose and holding the boom box… Maybe with a speech bubble that says, “Alright dudes!” Or something like that haha.

Songs that accompany horror movies and that don’t have much life beyond the context of the film are so interesting to me. Or cameos from bands, whether it’s Dokken or WASP appearing in Nightmare On Elm St or Ragewar, respectively. I hope you readers out there have your own favorite horror movie banger that you love. Jam “Computer Date” if you haven’t and I hope you love it in the same way I do.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got this week my fiends and ghouls. Hope you have a killer Halloween. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

I hate to poop on anyone’s parade, but I’ve always had trouble enjoying Halloween. Sure, I like the Misfits and I’ve even come to enjoy the odd horror movie after years of avoiding them, but I think there’s something fundamental to the idea of Halloween that doesn’t click with me. Maybe it’s related to being introverted. Part of the thrill of Halloween is wearing something outrageous (or maybe doing something outrageous, if you’re a big fan of the “trick” part of “trick or treat”) in order to provoke a reaction in people, and that just doesn’t hold a lot of appeal to me. Getting a rise out of people isn’t what gets me out of bed in the morning. I also make things worse for myself by never preparing for Halloween. Like many people, I’m casting about for a costume the night of the big party, and I always find that mad rush to get ready stressful, and (if I get in my head about it), disappointing when I think about how much better it could have been if I put some time into it. So, grump that I am, better to just avoid the whole thing altogether and say “I don’t like Halloween.” Which isn’t entirely true, but that’s the story I tell myself.

One thing I have always loved about Halloween, though, is cover sets. Maybe it’s because those get the preparation I’ve never put into my costume? I’ve done a few cover sets over the years, including a few like the Descendents and the Adolescents that are documented on video. I was lucky to play with some incredible musicians for those sets, and I thought they went great and I had a blast.

When Jeff asked everyone to write a Halloween-themed staff pick for this week’s newsletter, though, I struggled with what to write about. I could write about my favorite Misfits record or something, but I thought about the concept of fear, which is what Halloween is about, right? It’s about scaring your friends and neighbors, letting them experience that feeling in a low-stakes context. Which reminds me of the time Jet and I went to a haunted forest a few years ago. Every Halloween a bunch of these things crop up in the rural areas of North Carolina, and you pay twenty bucks or whatever to walk through some sketchy looking woods and get scared by a bunch of people wearing professional costumes and makeup. It’s sort of like stepping into a horror movie. The last time we went to one of these was just before I started medication for anxiety, and I had a terrible time. I was in a terrible place where fear and dread were way too big a part of my minute to minute existence. Why would I want to walk into a situation that summoned those feelings and made me confront them?

Back to the task at hand. Free associating on the word “fear,” three tracks came to mind by three of my favorite bands, and that’s what I’m going to write about for my staff pick. Three songs, three different approaches to the concept of fear.

First up, Poison Idea’s “Getting the Fear,” released as a 12” single in 1989 and later compiled on the Ian Mackaye and Get Loaded and Fuck compilations (the latter of which, ahem, we still have in stock at Sorry State). I’m smack dab in the middle of reading Jerry A’s three-volume autobiography, and I just learned the other day that “Getting the Fear” is about the Manson Family murders. I guess I’d never taken the time to understand the lyrics, which are:

Peace, love and eternal life
Ended with 169 swings of a knife
It looks like the soul really
Picked a good on this time
Death Valley, CA, 1969

Getting the fear (x4)

I am just a mirror
A reflection of what you want to see
Infinite plan of fear unto infinity
They crucified him once
But now he's back, at cost
Now it's the pigs turn
To go up on the cross

Getting the fear (x4)

There is no wrong
There is no right
There is no sin
When we dance in the night

Getting the fear (x4)

The people you call my family
You didn't want,
Left them out by the road
I took them into my dumpster
Fed them and gave them clothes
The numbers are always growing
The will is always strong
You'll learn that for love of brother
There is nothing that is wrong

I guess the key question regarding this song’s lyrics is, “who is getting the fear?” It seems like it’s not Manson’s victims (either the folks that formed his family or the people they killed), since they exist in the song’s background. Instead, it seems like who is “Getting the Fear” is the American public, who has to reckon with the idea that someone can warp the values they hold, like hope and charity and love and family, into something horrifying. It seems like it’s Charlie who speaks the line, “I am just a mirror.” The things that are the most terrifying are the things we know are within ourselves.

The next song I thought of was “Because You’re Frightened,” the standout first track on Magazine’s third album, The Correct Use of Soap. Even though it’s well into their career, “Because You’re Frightened” is one of Magazine’s great songs… if you assumed only their first album was good, do yourself a favor and check out Secondhand Daylight and The Correct Use of Soap. “Because You’re Frightened” is built around a killer lead guitar hook that’s descended from the Buzzcocks’ “Boredom,” which, of course, Magazine’s singer Howard Devoto had a hand in. Devoto is one of punk’s most compelling lyricists, and “Because You’re Frightened” is as good as any of the brilliant songs he wrote:

You love me because you're frightened
And I'm falling in love with you
Because I'm getting frightened
Of the things you somehow make me do
You love me because you're frightened
I can easily believe my eyes
Your fear is my finest hour
My fear is your disguise

Look what fear's done to my body

A frightening world
Is an interesting world to be in
In the Forbidden City
Or on The Roof of the World
Or at the receiving end
Of the nine o'clock news
However you put your mind to it
You can find fear where you choose

Look what fear's done to my body

You want to hurt
You want to crave
You want to praise and curse and blame
You want to believe just what you like
Then you want to hurt and crave again

They took you to the top of the mountain
They showed you the valley
You bought it
You couldn't wait, could you!

Look what fear's done to my body

You want to hurt ...

Devoto’s song about fear examines complex (presumably romantic) relationship dynamics, a place where we don’t typically think fear lives, but often does. In the relationship Devoto describes, fear is an elaborate dance… within the relationship, one can be afraid of what the other person might do or afraid of what one’s self might do under the influence of such strong feelings, and all this fear pushes them apart and makes both parties vulnerable to manipulation at the hands of the other. No one seems to know what’s going on, but both people live in this nebulous world of possibility where they’re both wondering what the other might think or do. And of course, this fear, even though it lives in this world of possibility, has real consequences: “Look what fear’s done to my body.”

Speaking of punk’s most compelling lyricists, the third song that came to mind was the Fall’s “Frightened.” Another leadoff track, this one starts the Fall’s first album, 1979’s Live at the Witch Trials. While Poison Idea’s and Magazine’s songs focus on the interpersonal power dynamics surrounding feelings of fear, Mark E Smith’s song zooms in on the individual subjective experience of fear. While the other two tracks have a triumphant tone that’s appropriate given the theme of dominance that runs through those songs’ lyrics, the Fall’s “Frightened” is as skittish as a wounded animal. Here are the lyrics:

 

Someone's always on my tracks
And in a dark room you'd see more than you think
I'm out of my place, got to get back
I sweated a lot, you could feel the violence

I've got shears pointed straight at my chest
And time moves slow when you count it
I'm better than them, and I think I'm the best
But I'll appear at midnight when the films close

'Cause I'm in a trance
Oh, and I sweat
I don't want to dance
I want to go home

I couldn't live in those people places
Oh, they might get to know my actions
I'd run away from toilets and feces
I'd run away to a non-date on the street

'Cause I'm in a trance
Oh, and I sweat
I don't want to dance
I want to go home

I feel trapped by mutual affection
And I don't know how to use freedom
I spend hours looking sideways
To the time when I was sixteen

'Cause I'm in a trance
Oh, and I sweat
I don't wanna dance
I wanna go home

I'm frightened
Amphetamine frightened

I go to the top of the street
I go to the bottom of the street
I look to the sky, my lips are dry

I'm frightened, frightened, frightened

The feelings of fear Smith describes here are tied to drug use (“Amphetamine frightened”), and beg the question, what is the relationship between fear and paranoia? To me, fear is an acute sensation. It is bounded in time, space, and circumstance. However, paranoia is more diffuse. It is a dull background drone, like tinnitus, that colors your experience of everything (“I spend hours looking sideways”). Maybe part of the appeal of this drug experience is that it takes that dull ache of paranoia and focuses it into something that’s discrete, bounded, and (possibly) controllable. When you’re frightened, you can choose to go home, to get out your current situation and to a safe place that will relieve the suffering. The song’s music dramatizes this, ambling around for over four minutes with its awkward, stumbling rhythms before getting to the big dramatic moment at the end where Smith repeats the chorus. There’s that feeling of triumph that we heard in the other two songs, and maybe that’s something bundled in with fear, the other side of its coin? Maybe I’m starting to understand the appeal…

Happy Halloween everyone!

Pohjasakka: Kidutusta Ja Pelkoa 12" (Finnish HC) The archival label Finnish HC brings us this 5-song scorcher from Pohjasakka. Pohjasakka’s 1985 7”, Maailma Täynnä Vihaa, is a ripping record, as good a Finnish hardcore punk record as you’ll find and a definitive example of everything I love about that country’s 80s hardcore scene. Pohjasakka recorded the five tracks on Kidutusta Ja Pelkoa a year later, in 1986, intending them as their second EP, but that record never came out during the band’s original run (credit to Usman’s staff pick from last week for teaching me all this). While I would have loved another EP in the style of Maailma Täynnä Vihaa, Pohjasakka’s style is a little different on these tracks. They’re less gnarly and less hardcore, moving the focus from aggro to melody. Ordinarily this would be a bad thing for any hardcore band as a turn toward a (slightly) more melodic style usually comes with a loss of intensity, but Pohjasakka keeps things as intense as ever, but with even stronger and more memorable songs. These tracks are more in the vein of Toxic Reasons or UK Subs, but played with the intensity of the Partisans at their most scorching, and faster than all those. Man, this record is so fucking good! It sounds great, the performance is blistering, the songwriting is top-notch, and there isn’t an ounce of fat on the whole thing. Sometimes I wonder if anything will hit me as hard as the stuff I heard in my youth, and then I hear something like this, and I realize how much I still love hardcore punk.

What’s up Sorry State readers, I hope you all have had a nice week. If you happen to be in Raleigh this weekend, don’t miss out on the killer show at Slims on Saturday night: Woodstock 99 joined by Raleigh’s very own Scarecrow and Meat House. It’s gonna be a doozy! This week I’d like to talk about a tape that came out last year but was just recently released for the first time on vinyl, Ambush by Personal Damage. This is the second release from the LA based band and it doesn’t disappoint. Me and Dominic gave this a listen at the store and both immediately became big fans of it and snagged a copy each. Like the record itself, my review for this is gonna be short and sweet. Clocking in at just under eight minutes, this puppy packs a mean punch, and it’s all gas no brakes from start to finish. It’s got a rough, yet clean sound to it and I like how clearly the vocals come through and how catchy it is. I really like the opening title track as it starts the record off with a bang, but what really hooked me was the sick cover of Peter Tosh’s Stepping Razor that closes out the record. I didn’t even know that song could sound like this. I’m looking forward to what Personal Damage releases in the future. If you like punk at ripping speeds that’ll get stuck in your head, this one’s for you. Snag a copy while you can and don’t miss out!

Hi Sorry State friends! Hope all is well with you. Things are good on my end. Super excited for Fall, the best time of the year! The weather here in Raleigh has been beautiful this week. You never know, it could be 89 degrees next week, so I’m enjoying the current weather while it’s here. Ok let’s jump in to the music!

My pick this week is The Muse Ascends by Girlsperm. I’ve heard a few gSp songs here and there but never a full album. Being a huge Bikini Kill fan, I was super psyched to hear this, as riot grrrl punk legend Tobi Vail plays drums. She is joined by Marissa Magic and Layla Gibbon, who are no slouches either. The trio has great chemistry and compliment one another very well.

This album definitely has a riot grrrl sound, kind of like if Bratmobile and (Janet-era) Sleater Kinney had a baby, but it’s noisier and more musical. True to form, gSp has the loud bratty vocals that sound like a cheerleader who will burn your house down after the game. However, there is a great interplay of vocal styles between band members if you need a break from being screamed at. A perfect example of this is the fifth track, Not Natural. It’s got this haunting feel to it like they’re casting a spell. It’s not nearly as fast, but still noisy as hell.

Sugarcide is a big standout for me, and it’s the perfect second side opener. Tracks like this really tie in well with the faster and more chaotic songs on the album. You will recognize a familiar sound right away, or you should. It’s the keyboard part of the 1969 hit Sugar, Sugar by The Archie’s. You know the song, right? It goes something like “sugar (do-do-do-do-do-do), ah honey, honey (do-do-do-do-do-do). It’s an infectious groove no doubt, so gSp puts their own twist on the do-do-do part and created a new song around it. It sounds really cool with an interesting mix of sounds.

What Do I Do With My Guitar is probably my other favorite song on the album. Such a great mix of “talk and sing” style vocals with Tobi’s pounding, perfectly timed drums all leading up to the bridge, which is the catchiest part. If I could choose one song to represent the album, this one would be it.

I’ve talked a lot about the vocals, but I think they use their vocals very creatively, as they weave in styles reminiscent of Pixies or the Breeders. It provides some great dimension. Most of the time, the guitar is really high-pitched and twangy, creating a really unique sound that becomes the focal point of the album. The whole record has a very amped up retro surfer rock vibe. Picture Tobi Vail playing a gig at a beach party that they get kicked out of two songs in.

Now don’t be alarmed that the album has a million tracks, as almost all of them hover around one minute. Anyway, give it a try! We have a few left in stock! The Bandcamp album is linked below for your enjoyment.

Thanks for reading! Until next time..

-Angela

https://thrillingliving.bandcamp.com/album/the-muse-ascends

POHJASAKKA!!!!! I was trying to think of the last time I was this excited about a reissue. At first I thought it was when Svart Records did PYHÄKOULU. Surprise, both bands are from Finland. But how could I forget... the recent Portland Edition Kings of Punk reissue! Everyone and their mother had been dying for that to be done again. While we are sold out of our copies of Kings of Punk, we just restocked the PYHÄKOULU compilation from Svart. I raved about this compilation when we initially stocked it, and I am excited it is back in print! This time on red vinyl. If you missed it the first time, now is your chance.

I can’t remember how I first heard POHJASAKKA, but it’s a safe bet I first heard em on the Killed By Finnish Hardcore compilation. I remember they quickly became one of my favorite bands, alongside other Finnish greats like TAMPERE SS and MELLAKKA. I don’t know much about POHJASAKKA aside that they were from a town called Rauma, and they shared one member with MELLAKKA (who was also from Rauma) named Pete. He joined MELLAKKA for the second EP on vocal duties. Originally in POHJASAKKA he played bass, but on their second release he’s on the drums. It looks like he’s got song-writing credits on the second record, but I’m not 100% since I don’t speak Finnish haha.

POHJASAKKA really caught my ear initially cos they play pretty straight-forward, raw (in the literal sense) hardcore, but every now and again they throw in this super catchy melodic shit. It really hits the spot for me. On their first record, it’s Sortoa Ja Vihaa. God damn. I don’t think I’d typically like a song like this, but in the midst of the complete EP it just sounds so damn good. On their recently reissued record, Kidutusta Ja Pelkoa, they lean more into those mid-tempo parts than they did on their debut. Now I say reissued “record,” but originally this was only released on cassette. So I think it’s a pretty big deal it’s finally available on vinyl the way it was originally intended. I’m not sure why the record never happened originally… maybe the band broke up? Or maybe they were just broke, haha. This release was actually reissued already almost a decade ago on cassette by Aftermath Tapes. I think they did a great job on the tape, but there is nothing like having it on vinyl. The Finnish Hardcore label did an excellent job with this reissue, as always, and I can’t wait to see what comes next! I think this record deserves a place in every record collection, so grab one while you can. Cheers and thanks for reading!